Page 3 - Demo

Nuclear Weapons of the Atomic Agetem, and it only produced about a half-watt of power. That was not much energy, but the device worked, and it proved that a nuclear chain reaction was possible. When asked what he would do if anything went wrong, Fermi replied, %u201cI will walk away%u2014leisurely%u201dAtomic BombsBecause Szilard%u2019s small nuclear reactor demonstrated that a controlled nuclear reaction was possible, it also implied that an uncontrolled nuclear reaction was also possible%u2014which would be an atomic bomb. By splitting atoms in an uncontrolled chain reaction, such a bomb would have immense destructive capabilities. Throughout the 1930s, scientists around the world expanded on the knowledge necessary to produce both controlled, and uncontrolled, nuclear reactions.As Adolph Hitler rose to power in Germany, there was a great deal of concern among the world's top scientists that he would develop his own atomic bomb%u2014and then use it against his enemies. In fact, Germany did have a project called Uranverein (Uranium Club), which was formed to investigate a whole range of nuclear technologies. It began in April 1939, and continued throughout most of the war. Western powers feared that, if the Nazis could develop an atomic bomb, it would give them a huge military advantage%u2014perhaps make them undefeatable. It was such a concern, that Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard sent a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt on August 2, 1939 warning him that Germany might try to build such a bomb. Roosevelt decided that the United States should build its own atomic bomb first, to counter any weapon that Hitler might develop. Thus, a Uranium Committee was formed to study the problem. In time, on August 13, 1942, the United States formed the Manhattan Project to create an atomic bomb. The effort would eventually cost nearly 2 billion dollars (equivalent to about $23 billion in 2020 dollars). While President Roosevelt couldn%u2019t have know it at the time, after the end of the war it was learned that Germany%u2019s atomic-bomb program was not even close to being advanced enough to pose a threat to the Allied powers.Manhattan ProjectThe Manhattan Project was named after it's first location %u2014 in Manhattan at 270 Broadway, New York City. However, the headquarters was soon moved to Washington, DC, and eventually the project had numerous auxiliary sites scattered across the country. Army General Leslie R. Groves was in charge of the entire mission, and he approved the selection of personnel. Groves%u2019 past experience included supervising the construction of the Pentagon and several major military depots. Despite being dominating, controlling, brusque, and egotistical, he was an excellent, practical-minded military engineer.The Manhattan Project%u2019s best known facility was located at Los Alamos, New Mexico. It was where most of the research and construction on the atomic bomb took place. Other well known sites included Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where uranium was enriched for use at Los Alamos, and Richland, Washington, which had a full-scale plutonium production plant. Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard wrote a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt, warning of the danger posed if Hitler developed an atomic weapon.